Most laboratory instruments that are integrated in automated robotic systems have a distinct front side that comprises most of the user interface. The front of an instrument can contain buttons, switches, knobs, indicator lights, and screens, all of which must be touched or seen by an operator in order to use the instrument. Generally, materials must be presented to or removed from the instrument in the course of operation (e.g., microtiter plates) at the front of the instrument.
When such an instrument is integrated into an automated robotic system, it must be positioned in the system such that the front of the instrument is facing toward the robot, so that the robot can pick up and place materials (e.g., microtiter plates) on the instrument. However, in this orientation, the back of the instrument is presented to an operator who approaches the instrument from outside the system (for safety reasons, it is rarely possible for an operator to routinely approach an instrument from “inside” the system, i.e., from the robot side). This makes it very difficult for an operator to use an integrated instrument.
Current methods of coping with this problem are undesirable. Some users remove the instrument from the automated system altogether when the instrument is needed for manual use, and must replace the instrument into its position in the automated system when it is needed for automated use. This is time-consuming, and may require re-teaching the robot, as the instrument may not be returned to precisely the same position when moved back into the automated system. Furthermore, for safety and other reasons it is generally not possible for instruments to be installed in or removed from an automated system while the system is in use, greatly limiting the flexibility of when the instrument may be moved on or off the system.
Other users may purchase two identical instruments; one for permanent installation in the automated system and the second for manual use, even if having two identical instruments means the user is wasting money on excess capacity.